In Depth Originally named as part of a doctorial dissertation by Alan J. Charig in 1956, Mandasuchus was formally established as a distinct genus in 2018. Mandasuchus is a genus of loricatan pseudosuchian that lived in Africa during the Triassic. Mandasuchus would have been a predator of other terrestrial animals, possibly up to equal size … Read more
In Depth Sclerocormus is a genus of primitive ichthyosauromorph that lived in waters around Asia during the early Triassic. As a member of the group that was ancestral to the ichthyosaurs, Sclerocormus itself did not look that much like one. The body of Sclerocormus was quite stout and stocky, while the tail of the animal … Read more
In Depth A very exciting find, the juvenile specimen of Rapetosaurus is to date the most complete titanosaurid skeleton ever found. This has allowed many of the gaps in the understanding of these dinosaurs to be filled in, including how the titanosaurs fit in among the sauropod group. This new understanding of titanosaur morphology has … Read more
In Depth Gobipteryx is a genus of enantiornithine that lived in Mongolia during the late Cretaceous. Studies of Gobipteryx show that Gobipteryx would have been capable of flight soon after hatching out from the egg. This would have given Gobipteryx a significant survival advantage in a world heavily populated by small theropod dinosaurs. Studies of … Read more
In Depth Utatsusaurus is an important entry in the fossil record concerning marine reptiles as it is often considered one of the first ichthyosaurs and as such it is used by some as the bench mark for identifying basal (primitive) features in ichthyosaurs. This includes skeletal features similar to diapsid reptiles, today the group that … Read more
Argentinosaurus: Fossil Maps and Geological Chart Discover Argentinosaurus with our interactive fossil map and geographical timeline chart. The fossil map pinpoints discovery sites worldwide, click each marker to see fossil ages and detailed references.. The interactive bar chart reveals how many Argentinosaurus fossils were found across different geological ages, helping you visualize its prehistoric history … Read more
In Depth Fossils of Vouivria were originally attributed to the dinosaur Bothriospondylus, however study of the fossils combined with the dubious status of Bothriospondylus meant that by the 1980s the fossils that these fossils were no longer thought to be Bothriospondylus. In 2017 the fossils were used to describe their own genus, Vouivria. Vouivria was … Read more
In Depth Xiongguanlong is what is considered to be an intermediate tyrannosaur, larger than the earlier species, smaller than the larger ones like Gorgosaurus and Alioramus. Xiongguanlong has a long snout on what is a quite narrow skull for a tyrannosaurid. Further Reading – A longirostrine tyrannosauroid from the Early Cretaceous of China. – Proceedings … Read more
In Depth The holotype bones of Haestasaurus were originally found in 1852 by a man named Samuel Husband Beckles who found them exposed by a low tide on a coast not far from Hastings. These remains were studied by Gideon Mantell (best remembered for naming Iguanodon) who considered them to represent a second species of … Read more
In Depth Undorosaurus is a genus of ichthyosaur which lived in the late Jurassic seas of what is now Russia. For a time Undorosaurus was speculated to be synonymous with Ophthalmosaurus, but today Undorosaurus is regarded by all to be a distinct genus, though one that is related to Ophthalmosaurus. Further Reading - A new … Read more